Baby Cashmere vs. Regular Cashmere: What is the Difference?

In case you didn’t know, the word cashmere originates from the word Kashmir – a region in India and Pakistan where Kashmir goats live (they can be found in China and Tibet too).

Many designers claim that cashmere is the best of all natural fibers.

This is not something new and women who like to wear luxurious things have been using cashmere clothing and accessories for many years now.

Cashmere is praised for the comfort it brings and its durability. This fabric is also very flexible and easy to wear. Hats, sweaters, socks, gloves, pajamas, trousers, coats, blankets and jackets are some of the products made from this fabric.

So, there is no doubt that cashmere wool is worth the investment, but it seems that there are two distinctive types of cashmere which can cause confusion.

Namely, in the recent period many people are mentioning baby cashmere.

In order to find out whether baby cashmere is a better option or it’s the same as ordinary cashmere, we will highlight some of the differences between regular cashmere and baby cashmere.

As the name suggests, baby cashmere is cashmere obtained from baby goats. In other words, this is fabric that comes from the first combing of a cashmere goat. So, this is the first difference between regular cashmere and baby cashmere.

Baby Cashmere Goat

As you are probably aware, cashmere that comes from adult goats is very smooth, but baby cashmere is even smoother.

The texture is incredibly soft and smooth which is quite natural because these animals are still growing.

Of course, there are some people who believe that baby cashmere shouldn’t be bought because it comes from animals that are still fragile and this experience can hurt them. This is still a controversial topic because some people argue that this combing doesn’t cause any physical or emotional pain.

Furthermore, another difference between regular cashmere and baby cashmere is the tapering.

It turns out that baby cashmere has one end of the fiber tapered which makes the yarn finer and the wool softer. The diameter of the fiber is lower and this is what makes baby cashmere extra soft.

The wool of a baby goat is up to 25% finer compared to regular cashmere wool obtained from adult goats. This makes the process of producing clothing and other accessories simpler too.

Obviously, the feel and touch of any product made from baby cashmere is different.

2 thoughts on “Baby Cashmere vs. Regular Cashmere: What is the Difference?”

I liked the article as I am a big fan of cashmere and have extensive knowledge on the topic. I would like to point out on one mistake in the article. Cashmere (baby or regular) is obtained by combing the goats and the baby goats with special comb/brushes, so the under fleece is taken out, and that is what is used to make the cashmere. This as well is one of the biggest differences between cashmere and wool (especially the famous merino wool). Sheep are sheared, and goats are combed. The amount brushed out is way less than if it was sheared, so that is one of the reasons why cashmere is more expensive (except some of the finest merino wool from New Zealand and Australia).

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